iOS / Bulk Apps install help!?

[JamesMio]

Background:

I'm a Mac novice (15+ years Windows background), so I'm probably missing something obvious - please bear with me.

We're running latest Mac OS (10.8.2), latest version of Apple Configurator (1.2.1) and latest iOS (6.1) on all iPads & iPhones).

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I'm trying to set up a batch of iPhones & iPads for a business. We'll have several with very similar profiles (e.g. Sales Rep1, Sales Rep 2 etc), and it looks like Apple Configurator is the tool do help with this.

First up - is there a basic user guide for this? That tells me what I can and can't actually expect to be able to do with the Configurator app?

Secondly - I'm led to believe I can use this to bulk install a load of apps (free and/or paid). I can see how to drag the apps into the Configurator, but no matter what I do next, the apps don't install onto the device. I hit apply / prepare / check out, whatever - nothing seems to do it.

So far I'm just playing with it to get my head around how it all works, so the only apps I've been trying this with are free ones (e.g. Adobe Reader / Chrome).

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks Org,

James

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(Genuine request - please save the Apple bashing for another thread, it's tedious!)

[Mr Speirs]

http://help.apple.com/configurator/mac/1.2/

Have you read through this?

[Mr Speirs]

This is quite a good write up from someone doing the same thing and using it for the first time. Includes details of limitations and what certain setting actually mean.
I.e. the advice to pay attention to the Supervised setting in a relation to paid apps.
And the in ability to sync the iPads you configure to any other computer.

[andrewsmith]

pretty much what Mr Speirs said.
Paid apps is usually by profile, unless you can get mass deployment.

What apps you trying to upload?

[Mr Speirs]

Just realised I forgot to post the link in my second post:

http://mgleeson.edublogs.org/2012/12/10/oh-apple-configurator-i-will-not-be-defeated/

[JamesMio]

Thanks chaps - that first link was a big help, cheers Speirs!

[flymo]

re-sell them a set of licences into the Airwatch cloud service, you can fully manage and provision devices through that.